Ineffable 𓇢𓆸 || Jakehoon

🍂 Chapter 75 🍂

Sunghoon's POV

I ran as fast as my legs could carry me, pushing through the chaos of the camp, barely aware of the people around me. My heart was pounding in my chest, the distant sound of laughter and joy confusing me at first. People were celebrating. Laughing. I had to blink several times to make sure I wasn't imagining it.

When I reached the nearest group of survivors, I grabbed a man by the arm, my breath coming out in heavy gasps.

"What's going on?" I asked urgently, panic creeping into my voice.

The man looked at me, a wide grin spread across his face. "North Koreans stopped the fight. They're calling a ceasefire-just for a while. It's over for now."

I stood there for a moment, stunned. A ceasefire? The war, the fighting, the fear-everything that had consumed us for so long-had just... stopped.

The weight of the moment hit me all at once. My mind raced. We're free. Finally. No more running, no more fighting for survival. It's over.

For the first time in a long time, I allowed myself to breathe. I could finally think about a future again. A real future. A future with Jake. We can make a life together. A beautiful life.

I smiled to myself for a second, the thought of us, walking away from all the pain and fear, together.

But then-

Boom.

The blast was so sudden, so loud, it stole the air from my lungs. The ground trembled beneath my feet, and the cheer that had just filled the air was replaced by a deafening silence.

The joy vanished in an instant.

My heart skipped a beat. I froze, my eyes wide as I turned towards the direction of the explosion. My body moved before I could even think, adrenaline surging through me.

No... no, not now. Not like this.

I sprinted forward, my legs burning with the effort, my breath coming in sharp gasps. The world felt like it was moving in slow motion, everything suddenly out of place, wrong. I had to get back to the camp. To Jake.

As I approached, a thick cloud of dust and smoke filled the air. The camp was a mess. I could barely see through the haze. The sounds of children crying, people shouting for help-everything was chaos.

My heart was hammering in my chest, and I pushed past everyone, scanning frantically, trying to make sense of it all.

And then-there they were.

I spotted a few of my friends, some of the others, bloodied and bruised but alive. My relief was fleeting, though.

Where was Jake?

I looked again, my breath catching in my throat. I called his name, my voice hoarse with panic.

"Jake! Jake!" I screamed, my voice cracking.

But there was no answer.

I saw a few familiar faces-Niki, Sunoo, Jungwon-huddled together, their expressions pale and filled with fear. But Jake...

He was nowhere to be seen.

My body was frozen. I couldn't process it. Not now. Not after everything. He can't be gone. He can't.

I pushed through the wreckage, searching the rubble. I saw children crying for their parents, people looking around in shock, trying to make sense of what had just happened. But all I could think of was Jake.

I kept shouting his name, but the world around me was a blur, everything moving too fast, too chaotic.

Where are you, Jake? I thought, my heart racing with each passing second.

My mind wouldn't stop. I could hear the distant wails of people, the cries of the wounded. But none of it mattered. None of it mattered if I couldn't find Jake.

Please, God, don't take him from me. Not now.

Please God! Please save Jake.... Please save my love....

I kept running, my legs giving way beneath me, my thoughts spinning, but there was only one thing on my mind.

Where is Jake?

I didn't even hesitate. My feet moved without thinking, driven by pure fear, my mind racing with one single thought.

Jake. Where is Jake?

I pushed past everyone, ignoring the shouts of others as they tried to help the wounded, ignoring the cries that echoed around me. The explosion had torn through the camp, and I knew people were still trapped. But there was only one person I cared about.

I had to find him.

"Sunghoon!" Eunhee's voice broke through the haze. She was limping toward me, her arm bloody, but she was moving, pushing through the pain. She caught my gaze, her expression torn. "I-I've been searching for you..."

"Eunhee," I gasped, grabbing her shoulders as I forced myself to focus. "Are you okay?"

She nodded weakly, but the fear in her eyes told me everything. "I'm fine. It's just a scratch. But Sunghoon... some people are still trapped inside the tents. I've been looking for you, but they need help-"

I didn't hear the rest of her words. My heart was already racing as I turned and bolted toward the wreckage of the camp. The tent that had been closest to the blast. The one I had last seen Jake near.

I couldn't breathe, couldn't think. The smoke burned my lungs, the dust clouding my vision, but I ran faster, ignoring the world around me. I had to get to him.

When I reached the tent, the scene was utter chaos. People were shouting, pulling survivors out of the wreckage, trying to put out fires. I didn't care about any of it.

"Jake!" I screamed, my voice cracking. The world felt like it was falling apart around me, but I couldn't stop. I had to find him.

And then, through the haze, I saw him.

There, beneath the twisted metal and shattered canvas. His body was crumpled on the ground, face pale, surrounded by a pool of blood. My heart froze.

No. No, no, no, no.

I couldn't breathe. I couldn't think. I couldn't-

"JAKE!" The scream tore out of me, raw and desperate. I pushed through the crowd of people trying to help, my hands shaking uncontrollably as I reached for him.

I didn't care how much blood was on the ground, didn't care about the injuries I might have gotten, didn't care that the camp was falling apart. All I cared about was him.

I dropped to my knees beside him, my hands trembling as I touched his face.

Please, please don't be dead. Please don't leave me.

"Jake..." I whispered, my voice a broken sob. His skin was cold beneath my fingers. I didn't know what to do. I could barely process what I was seeing, but there was one thing that cut through the fear and the panic:

He had to be alive.